Five Questions to Ask a Salesforce Consultant or Independent Software Vendor (ISV)

If you’re seeking a consulting services firm to assist you with a Salesforce.com project or implementation, you’ve probably realized, you’re faced with many choices. Beyond finding a partner that is an official partner of Salesforce, with certified Salesforce Sales, Service and Marketing Cloud consultants and developers, what else should you look for? Here are five questions to ask to help you identify the right partner:

How long has your firm been doing CRM consulting?

There are many firms that have grown directly out of the recent boom in Salesforce.com adoption, meaning that’s all they know. While Salesforce-specific knowledge is absolutely critical, there are benefits to finding a partner that has done CRM implementations pre-Salesforce. These firms can draw upon experience and lessons learned implementing the systems and technologies that came before. These partners also tend to be well-equipped to help you anticipate and understand what might be coming next—and there will be something coming next.

Besides Salesforce, what other capabilities does your firm have?

There are many firms out there 100% focused on Salesforce.com work. However, you can’t treat your implementation as if it happens in a vacuum. On the contrary, a successful Salesforce implementation must consider many other factors, including integrations with other systems, business process, user adoption, and project & program management. The right partner can bring expertise in these areas to ensure your success.

How many projects have you done similar in scope and size as ours?

The ideal partner will bring a pragmatic, right-sized approach to your implementation. Large and complex projects have many facets to successful delivery. However, don’t under-estimate the need for a tailored approach for a smaller implementation. The right partner can tailor an approach that is appropriate for your business needs and budget, delivering precisely what you need—and only what you need.

What’s the experience level of the consultants you’ll be bringing to our project?

With the boom in Salesforce.com adoption, configuration skills have become a very marketable skill, bringing new consultants into the industry. This is a good thing, but the ideal partner will bring experienced consultants, or utilize their more junior resources working directly with their well-seasoned ones.

Are you a Salesforce partner, or re-seller?

Re-sellers of Salesforce’s services may be more financially motivated to sell you additional Salesforce functionality or licenses—whether they make sense for your organization’s needs or not. In contrast, a non-reseller isn’t similarly motivated, and thus more likely to recommend the right solution—Salesforce or not.

Paul Danek is a senior consultant in Statera’s Salesforce CRM Practice. He possesses certifications in Salesforce.com (Admin & Service Cloud), Apttus Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) and Project Management (PMP). When he’s not working Paul enjoys Crossfit, road cycling, and hiking the Colorado foothills with his wife, Ashleigh and Rottweiler, Arizona.

Statêra

Statêra is a leading business and technology consulting firm. We have completed over 1,000 successful engagements by delivering the right solutions, delighting our clients, supporting our communities, and by providing interesting and productive careers for our people. Our methods focus on process over platform and talent over technology. We are experts in moving our clients to the cloud, and delivering CRM, web, mobile, collaboration, and custom solutions.